C15:0 unveiled as essential fatty acid “we didn’t realize we were missing”

08 Jan 2021 --- US-based Seraphina Therapeutics has launched fatty15, a supplement touted as “the first and only” one to contain the pure fatty acid C15:0.

C15:0, or pentadecanoic acid, is positioned as the first essential fatty acid to be discovered in the past 90 years, backed by a growing body of research to support its protective effects.

The micronutrient is touted for its anti-aging properties, such as promoting cellular resilience, enhancing mitochondrial function and activating specific receptors that regulate immunity, metabolism, mood, sleep and appetite.

It was discovered while Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, CEO and co-founder of Seraphina Therapeutics, was working to protect the health and welfare of bottlenose dolphins.

“We discovered that dolphins and humans developed similar conditions with aging, including elevated cholesterol, chronic inflammation and anemia,” Venn-Watson tells NutritionInsight.

“From this research, the team uncovered the groundbreaking role of a healthy odd-chain saturated fatty acid in protecting health during the aging process.”

Scientific backing for C15:0
Independent global studies have shown higher C15:0 blood levels are linked to better health.  

Most recently, a study in Nature’s Scientific Reports concluded that C15:0 could play a role in stemming the global pandemics of obesity and cardiometabolic diseases.  

The COVID-19 pandemic encouraged Seraphina Therapeutics to make fatty15 widely available as a dietary supplement.Another more large-scale study involving over 14,000 people tracked over 14 years found people who had more C15:0 in their diet had higher survival rates throughout the study period. 

Since announcing the discovery of the new essential fatty acid, Seraphina Therapeutics has raised US$6.2 million from biotechnology investors as part of its Series A financing round.  

“With C15:0 there is now a new essential fatty acid we didn’t realize we were missing that we can take to enhance the maintenance of normal functioning during the aging process,” says Dr. Nicholas Schork, scientific director for the Longevity Consortium, which is sponsored by the National Institute of Health’s National Institute.

Accelerated development during the pandemic
With the many promising health benefits published about C15:0 in Scientific Reports, Seraphina Therapeutics initially thought to develop C15:0 only as a prescription medication targeting specific metabolic and inflammatory conditions, continues Venn-Watson. 

“However, when the coronavirus pandemic hit, it underscored the growing number of susceptible older individuals and we recognized a greater, immediate need for fatty15 as a consumer-based health and wellness option to restore C15:0 levels and support general health, especially with age,” she adds. 

Supplementation required
Fatty15 is designed to replenish the body with a critical fatty acid that has “been depleted from modern diets for decades.”  

The body does not make essential fatty acids naturally, explains Schork.

This includes other well-known fatty acids often supplemented to promote wellness, such as omega 3 and omega 6. 

C15:0 is found in trace levels in butter and other whole-fat dairy products, as well as some types of plants and fish.

“Our primary dietary source of C15:0 is from whole-fat dairy products. Unfortunately, these foods contain much higher levels of even-chain saturated fats (like C16:0) that continue to be associated with increased risks of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and inflammation,” details Venn-Watson. 

“Fatty15 just provides the good odd-chain saturated fatty acid in a pure, non-dairy supplement.”  

Additionally, Seraphina Therapeutics is advancing FA15, a pure powder form of C15:0, as a food ingredient and will continue to study the role of C15:0 as a prescription therapeutic for related nutritional deficiencies.

By Missy Green